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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

My brain is strange. Some things I’ll remember for years. Other things I can’t remember for five minutes.

My husband Carl and I watch a series on TV. I won’t mention the name. In this TV series, the main character is brilliant, very single-minded, and hard working in certain areas. In other areas, this character is forgetful, messy, and lazy. I’m far from brilliant, yet there are things my brain retains that often surprises me. And things I forget, even more surprising. Much like the character.

For example, the things most people know, I have no clue about. I never know the price of items in the grocery store, never know what’s on sale, never know which stores have the best bargains. Furthermore, I have trouble remembering the make of my own car, much less anyone else’s. I don’t know the cost of a gallon of gas. I have trouble turning on the gas fire in our fireplace. (I always turn the pilot light off. If I were Carl, I would have popped me upside the head by now. It’s difficult to relight—something else I can’t do. Sometimes, I think, he actually gets a kick out of it. Well, maybe not.)

I also have trouble with directions. One time I said, “What a beautiful sunset!” Two problems with that statement. It was the moon rising and not the sun setting. And I was pointing to the east, not the west. I am directionally challenged.

In other words, I am lost in some areas of life.

Sometimes, well, perhaps often, I get lost in my writing. I forget people’s names (and I named them!). I forget if they have blue eyes or brown eyes. I forget where they are at (and, yes, I put them there).

That’s why I’ve put up a big bulletin board in my study. When I write my next book, I’m going to have all these things written down.

Now, let me tell you something. If I ever get a book published, I’m going to have to promote it. Do you suppose I will get lost doing that?

Perhaps if I just get a little push in the right direction . . . . *sigh* Never mind.

Friday, January 21, 2011

I keep working under the delusion that someday a library will ask for my manuscripts. ~Walter Wager

’Nuff said. (Notice the apostrophe is curved to the left—something I’ve recently learned. The apostrophe needs to curve toward the letters that are left out. I think I got that right. Just saying . . . .)

All men should strive
to learn before they die
what they are running from, and to, and why.
~JamesThurber

Our souls long for God. If we turn our backs on God, if we run from God, we seek to fill the emptiness with things or people. We need to be running to God.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore. Psalm 121

It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. ~K.T. Jong

Silence the TV, the radio, the computer—and find time to be still and listen. “Whispers of truth”? I am the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. ~Douglas Adams

So true, isn’t it? I think that’s the reason It’s a Wonderful Life resonates with so many people. It’s as if God funnels us in a certain direction. Our plans are not necessarily his plans. Our ways are not his ways. When we can accept this with equanimity and let God guide us, we will begin to know peace.

We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others, that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. ~Francois de la Rochefoucauld

As Christians we should live lives free from deceit. We need to be willing to show others our struggles and sorrows. We should confess our sins to one another.

Let’s strip off our masks and disguise not ourselves.Reabsorbing the teachings of Jesus,restoring my health, life and soul, rejoicing in God’s love--Words to live by in 2011!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Not all writers are good writers. Not everyone even agrees on what makes a good writer. I know I’m not the world’s greatest writer, and what I’m about to say could be said about me. But I’m going to say it anyway. Not everyone who is writing, whether novels, blogs, short stories, or whatever, should be. At least not until they study the craft more.

So, I think I can write. Am I self delusional? Am I disguised to my true self?

Sometimes I think I am actually a very good writer. Wow, did I just say that?

I suppose everyone who is writing believes the same thing. Would they be writing otherwise?

Writing is a weird business. While writing, ideas sometimes just flow through me, and, I’m like, where did that come from? That’s better than normal me.

Similar to having a child. As a parent watches their children grow up, they often wonder, how did he learn that? Where did she get those beautiful eyes? Where did that come from?

Others have felt the same thing. That’s where this idea of a muse came from. Don’t you reckon Homer thought, “Surely, The Iliad didn’t come from my puny brain.” And so, someone, somewhere, came up with the idea of a muse directing a writer’s thoughts.

Just suppose there is a muse. Or suppose it’s the Holy Spirit. Questions come to mind. Why do some crazy, perhaps even evil people, have such great ability to write? Another question, why does the muse guide people who have read or studied the craft of writing the most? Very rarely a person is born who has the ability to write almost from the moment speech becomes coherent. But most of us have to read and study and struggle.

And, then, those brilliant ideas come to us. Percolating up through our subconscious. I had what might be a brilliant idea the other day. Yes, I said brilliant. Out of the blue. To change the order of the chapters. Because it revealed a foreshadowing.

I thought it was brilliant. But then, I just might be disguised to self. Self delusional.

However, and I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating, all comes ultimately from God. He either gives us our ability, our work ethic, our perseverance directly or indirectly.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

And, remember, the rain falls on both the just and unjust. As do ideas.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Eclectic would describe most of my life. Furniture, art, music, books, even dogs, and hobbies.

And my writing also. I don’t want to be tied down to one genre. So far I have written, or am writing, a devotional, a historical YA novel, and a suspense/thriller.

I know writers are told to pick a genre and stick with it. Perhaps I will, eventually. But, then again, I may stick with a genre sooner than I think.

As a lover of change and challenges, I have several ideas for books simmering, just waiting to be written. However, my brain is telling me, Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it—I’ve got something better for you to do. A sequel. (And you should see the grin on the face of my subconscious!)

If you are a regular reader, you know I have finally finished my YA novel. Surprisingly, the other morning I awoke with an entire chapter planned for the sequel. I knew I wanted to write it, sooner or later, but figured my brain wouldn’t want to revisit the same historical period with the same characters now.

Caution: Brain at Work

But, obediently, I jotted down a few notes for that first chapter and I now know the theme of the book and the ending. Hooray for that. And my subconscious figured it out without any help from conscious me. If my subconscious could learn to type, I would have the book written in no time.

But I have other plans. I have been longing to edit my suspense/thriller. So, I’m telling myself, that, as yet unnamed, YA book will have to wait.

Do you hear me, subconscious? You can keep working on the sequel to Thundersnow but do it quietly. Oh, and come up with a title, while you’re at it.